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Many people know the song "free falling" but many of us don't know how to play it. Or even tune a guitar for it for that matter.

(NOTE: This version has a more of a bass sound to it, making the chords sound more defined. However an easier version is to eliminate the Top string (e) and play only on the bottom 4. Playing the chords as normal, and plucking the bottom 4 strings)

Steps

1

Do the tuning

The tuning for this song is standard tuning (EBGDAE). If you already know how to tune a guitar to standard tuning re-direct your attention to part B. If not then continue reading.

2

Place tuner on knee close to the sound hole and pluck the first string (top).

3

Watch the tuner and continue to pluck and turn the tuning head until the tuner displays an E.

4

Repeat for all the strings until each string matches the proper pitch.

5

Now that the guitar is tuned properly its time to play.

Playing

1

Place capo on the third fret. (This will make playing the notes a little bit easier because its less strings to have to worry about)

2

Place fingers on strings, corresponding to Figure 1. And pluck the top (e) and the bottom three strings (D, A, and E).

3

Next move fingers to the corresponding strings in Figure 2. Again pluck the top string (e) and the bottom three strings (D, A, and E).

4

Play this chord again, in the same fashion and then replay the chord shown in Figure 1.

5

Finally, play the chord as shown in Figure 3. However this time pluck the bottom 4 strings.

6

Repeat this process, with the proper timing and you will be playing the song in no time.

Tips

When playing the chord shown in figure 1, use index finger to hold the top string (e), because it will make it easier to switch to the next chord

Figure 3:

e--- ----

B---2---

G---2---

D---2---

A--- ---

E--- ---

Figure 1:

e---2----

B---3---

G---2---

D--- ---

A--- ---

E--- 2 ---

Warnings

(NOTE: If you previously had a different tuning on your guitar, it will want to revert back to the previous tuning because of the changed tension in the strings. Meaning you will have to re-tune a few times after playing)

References

Song written by "Tom Petty"

Tab written for John Mayers version

Article Info

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. This article has also been viewed 4,855 times.